The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
The Philippine real-estate industry is one industry that requires companies to consider several factors before starting a project.
Filinvest Land Inc., a company that has proven its worth through its many real-estate developments, has risen to the top of the industry, mainly because of its vision, hard work, and insistence on choosing the best construction partners.
It believes that even the smallest board or the most subtle of mouldings should communicate institutional demand for excellence and quality.
Architect Jimmy S. Roque, head of Filinvest’s planning department, believes that construction materials of the highest quality are an important part of the success of the company’s projects.
“We are always looking for building materials that will satisfy our requirements as a real-estate developer in order to deliver quality homes that will ultimately benefit our clients,” Roque said.
The quest for the best in construction
As a company that has been in the real-estate business since 1967, Filinvest has proven its authority with a wide range of real-estate developments. These include residential subdivisions, mid-rise and high-rise condominiums and offices, shopping centers, and leisure hubs.
Filinvest has built homes for over 135,000 families, and is committed to continue to fulfill Filipinos’ dreams. Keeping this in mind, the company prioritizes using the best materials in all its developments to ensure the quality of its end-product, while providing a safe environment for its contractors.
Roque lists his company’s priorities when it comes to choosing building materials: quality, safety, availability, price, sustainability, maintenance, and design versatility.
“For us, the challenge is finding materials that provide long-term benefits while being sustainable,” he said. “We want our clients to enjoy low-maintenance homes that will not require constant repairs. We also put into consideration the availability of materials, so that our construction operations and delivery commitments will never be compromised. Lastly, the material must be able to conform to changing design trends.”
Versatile, preferred building material
One brand that Filinvest has consistently used is HardieFlex. It has found HardieFlex’s resistance to fire, impact, moisture damage, and termites to be greatly beneficial for the company, as it adds value to its developments.
Filinvest also found another benefit: high-quality HardieFlex fiber cement boards are effective against rodent-caused damage. It is tough enough to prevent rats from creating holes in the panels.
It also found that, unlike plywood that shrinks or expands when exposed to varying weather conditions, HardieFlex boards have maintained their form and integrity. Because of this, once the panels were put in place and the finishing has been applied, cracks are unlikely to appear. Resealing will not be required for a long time.
Filinvest also demands versatility. Aside from using the fiber cement boards for interior purposes, the company has explored outdoor applications, too. One of the company’s projects, Princeton Heights in Molino town, Cavite province, has a New England look, with traditional exterior siding as a notable design feature. To attain this look, Filinvest used HardiePlank Siding with a wood grain-textured finish. The planks were simply applied directly onto the concrete walls.
In fact, for themed developments that require special design features—Balinese, Asian Tropical or Mediterranean—Filinvest is constantly looking for building materials that are flexible and versatile enough to achieve these design features without spending more.
“We use materials that are practical, lighter, and faster to install,” Roque said. “We want to achieve our desired finishes at a lesser cost, but with the same quality as a wall finish.”
Safeguarding the homeowner’s interests lies at the core of Filinvest’s business, which is why the company continues to use HardieFlex for its projects.
“We [saw] that our homeowners have benefited from the lower maintenance and repair costs,” Roque said. Customer satisfaction and welfare, at the end of the day, are very important aspects that any leading full-range property developer always tries to ensure.